In the House: Fowler seeking senior repeat

Brandon skip Lois Fowler has a new lineup as she defends her provincial senior women’s curling championship title this week.

Lois Fowler is going for her second straight provincial senior women’s curling championship this week at the Brandon Curling Club, but she’s doing it with a different team.

Fowler has teamed up with Maureen Bonar, Cathy Gauthier and Allyson Stewart to create a squad that’s the top seed at this year’s event and looks tough to beat going into today’s opening draw at 9 a.m. While Fowler is looking at another title, she also is embracing this opportunity to play with some good friends.

"The four of us have been longtime friends, and it was a goal to play together one more time and it worked that Cathy was able to play simply because the Scotties was earlier due to the Olympics," Fowler said. "Usually she’s unable to play seniors because she’s working for TSN. When the opportunity arose, we were thrilled we were able to put this team together and have some fun and hopefully have some success."

While the Fowler foursome features some big names, they don’t have a lot of games under their belts together. They were in an event in the fall, which they won, and placed second at the Brandon Ladies’ Bonspiel without Bonar, who had other commitments. With Gauthier and Stewart living in Winnipeg, communication and individual practice times have been all the more important.

One advantage Fowler has is playing in her home club. She is looking forward to sleeping in her own bed during the event, but she knows the other 11 teams in the field will be gunning for her.

"You just have to be ready," she said. "There’s lots of good shots made and nobody’s going to lay down for us. We’ll have to work hard for every win."

The women’s field also has fourth-seed Deb Collyer from Killarney as well as Brandon’s Joyce McDougall, Hamiota’s Sandra Cowling and Souris’s Lynne Locke. The final is set for Sunday at 1:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, Kelly Robertson’s squad looks to be the model of consistency in the senior men’s championship, which also starts today at the Brandon club.

Robertson has the same lineup that won the 2011 national crown, the 2012 provincial title and lost last year’s Manitoba final to Winnipeg’s Bob Sigurdson, who’s the top seed this year.

Robertson and Doug Armour, Peter Prokopowich and Bob Scales come in as the second seed even though they have played in only a handful of events this season. That includes the Safeway Championship, in which they went 1-2.

Robertson’s team seems to succeed even though it doesn’t play a lot and the skipper feels confident going into his first game against Brandon’s Lory Saban at 12:30 p.m.

"We feel as if we have a good chance of doing well there and maybe winning it again," said Robertson, who’s in the same group as Kelly McMechan’s Brandon team. "It would be great to do that one more time. We’re looking forward to the challenge and if we curl the way we’re capable of then we’ll be there at the end."

Pilot Mound’s Curtis McCannell and Dauphin’s Jim Todoruk are also in the senior men’s event. The men’s final will be played Monday at 1:30 p.m.

EXTRA ENDS: Wawanesa will host a mixed bonspiel from Feb. 28 to March 2. Contact Janie Beare at 204-824-2127 … Minnedosa’s men’s bonspiel will run from March 7-9.

This article has not yet been rated.

We want you to tell us what you think of our articles. If the story moves you, compels you to act or tells you something you didn’t know, mark it high. If you thought it was well written, do the same. If it doesn’t meet your standards, mark it accordingly.

You can also register and/or login to the site and join the conversation by leaving a comment.

Rate it yourself by rolling over the stars and clicking when you reach your desired rating. We want you to tell us what you think of our articles. If the story moves you, compels you to act or tells you something you didn’t know, mark it high.

You can comment on most stories on brandonsun.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments.
All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

There are no comments at the moment. Be the first to post a comment below.

Post Your Comment

Error

The following error(s) occurred:

You forgot to fill in the comment box.

confirm comment

The following is the comment that you have written. If you like what you have written, select the submit button and the comment will be sent to the Brandon Sun. If you would like to go back and edit your comment, select the edit button.

Comment

You have characters left

The Brandon Sun does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. Comments are moderated before publication. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

Lois Fowler is going for her second straight provincial senior women’s curling championship this week at the Brandon Curling Club, but she’s doing it with a different team.

Fowler has teamed up with Maureen Bonar, Cathy Gauthier and Allyson Stewart to create a squad that’s the top seed at this year’s event and looks tough to beat going into today’s opening draw at 9 a.m. While Fowler is looking at another title, she also is embracing this opportunity to play with some good friends.

Please subscribe to view full article.

Lois Fowler is going for her second straight provincial senior women’s curling championship this week at the Brandon Curling Club, but she’s doing it with a different team.

Fowler has teamed up with Maureen Bonar, Cathy Gauthier and Allyson Stewart to create a squad that’s the top seed at this year’s event and looks tough to beat going into today’s opening draw at 9 a.m. While Fowler is looking at another title, she also is embracing this opportunity to play with some good friends.

Subscription required to view full article.

A subscription to the Brandon Sun Newspaper is required to view this article. Please update your user information if you are already a newspaper subscriber.